Technology

Residents along the Roaring Fork Valley are being asked to share the details of their internet access at home. It’s part of an effort to speed up connections across Northwest Colorado. Phylis Mattice is Pitkin County Assistant Manager.

“The survey is asking people who their internet provider is, how much do they pay for it. We just don’t want it to be available to people, we want it to be affordable to people.

In 2001, Tony Fadell’s design for Apple revolutionized the music player and eventually the cellphone. Today, he’s the CEO and chief designer at Nest Labs - a company aiming to making your thermostat more beautiful, intuitive and energy efficient. Fadell was in town this week to present at the Aspen Ideas Festival and he spoke to Aspen Public Radio’s Rob St. Mary.

For firefighters, each new blaze presents different challenges. Where to get water... the boundaries between private and public property.. access roads and other details can be crucial to getting control of a fire. To make that easier, the Forest Service and other agencies are building their own Google Earth program.

Adam Frankel is founding executive director of Digital Promise, a bipartisan, public-private partnershipchartered by Congress to spur innovation in education. Frankel was special assistant to the president and senior speechwriter for President Obama after speechwriting on Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.